1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates to a dispenser for a refrigerator and a refrigerator including the same, more particularly, to a refrigerator including a dispenser which can supply an electric power to an external device, to enhance user convenience.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
A refrigerator is an electric appliance which can maintain freshness of various foods for a long time by supplying cold air generated by a freezing cycle to a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment.
In general, such a refrigerator includes a cabinet having a freezer compartment and a refrigerator compartment formed therein to store foods, and doors coupled to sides of the cabinet to open and close the freezer and compartment compartments, respectively.
In addition, elements including a compressor, an evaporator, an expansion valve and the like which compose the freezing cycle may be provided in the cabinet. Cold air generated from the evaporator is supplied to the freezer and refrigerator compartments, to preserve stored food in the freezer and refrigerator compartments at a low temperature for a long time period.
In recent, a dispenser is installed in the door of the refrigerator to allow a user to dispense water or ice cubes from a water supply or an ice maker provided in the refrigerator conveniently even without opening the door. Also, cold air inside the refrigerator compartment or the freezer compartment cannot be prevented from losing although the door is opened or closed frequently.
However, the refrigerator includes only the dispenser simply in consideration of use convenience and it has a disadvantage of failing to satisfy a variety of user's demands sufficiently, while conventional electric appliances create new values via convergence with multimedia devices.
In other words, the dispenser provided in the refrigerator is used to dispense cold water cooled by cold air inside the refrigerator. In case hot water to make coffee is needed, the water dispensed from the dispenser is poured into a coffee pot and the coffee pot is connected with a power supply additionally provided, to boil the water inconveniently.
Such the inconvenience might be generated because a power supply used to supply the electric power to a boiling container such as a coffee pot is not provided in the dispenser capable of supplying cold water.